(and other things that distract one from reading)

Born a Crime: Trevor Noah

Born a Crime is an excellent read, even for those who aren’t fans of Trevor Noah–like me. His memoir offers a view of South Africa that familiarizes you with the culture, languages, and most importantly, the people. Not to mention, there were a few notable laughs along the way. Here’s a quick teaser to spark your interest:

I come from a country where people are more likely to visit sangomas–shamans, traditional healers, pejoratively known as witch doctors–than they were to visit doctors of Western medicine. I come from a country where people have been arrest and tried for witchcraft–in a court of law. I’m not talking about the 1700s. I’m talking about five years ago. I remember a man being on trial for striking another person with lightning. That happens a lot in the homelands. There are no tall buildings, few tall trees, nothing between you and the sky, so people get hit by lightning all the time. And when someone gets killed by lightning, everyone knows it’s because somebody used Mother Nature to take out a hit. So if you had a beef with the guy who got killed, someone will accuse you of murder and the police will come knocking.